“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve”.

“You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. All you need is a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love”.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Service is a spark to rekindle the spirit of democracy in an age of uncertainty. When it is all said and done, it comes down to three simple questions: What is right? What is wrong? And what are we going to do about it?" — President Bill Clinton, upon swearing in the first class of AmeriCorps members

Inclusion Creating an Inclusive Environment: A Handbook for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities in National and Community Service Programs

http://www.serviceandinclusion.org/handbook/index.php

For people with disabilities, the world of service is often fraught with barriers. Barriers are often inadvertent and exist out of ignorance, fear, and concern. Barriers are removed through training, technical assistance, collaboration, and the development of inclusive practices, teamwork, and respect.

All programs receiving funds from the CNCS or other federal agencies must comply with federal laws that guarantee equal access and prohibit discrimination. But mere compliance does not necessarily ensure the full and meaningful participation of people with disabilities in national and community service. An inclusive service environment does.

The World of Service Facilitate experiences that are rewarding and meaningful

http://www.serviceandinclusion.org/handbook/index.php

Evolution of National and Community Service

•1933 President Roosevelt, creates the New Deal

•Civilian Conservation Corps

•1961 President Kennedy initiates the Peace Corps

•1964 President Johnson War on Poverty

•VISTA & Senior Corps

•1989 President George H. Bush creates the Office of National Service and the Points of Light Foundation to foster volunteering

1993 National & Community Service Trust Act

•President Clinton’s call to “earn college tuition by providing service to communities”

•Created AmeriCorps

•United the existing programs of VISTA, Senior Corps , and AmeriCorps under the umbrella of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)

2009 Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

•Expands AmeriCorps to over 250,000 annual participants and

establishes 5 new service corps: Education Corps, Clean Energy

Corps, Healthy Futures Corps, Veterans Corps, and Opportunity

Corps.

•Reserves funds to increase the participation of individuals with

disabilities in national service.

•Public awareness efforts targeted to organizations serving individuals

with disabilities.

•National Service Programs are directed to collaborate with disability

organizations to develop recruitment methods to increase the number

of participants with disabilities.

National and Community Service in Arizona

CNCS Funding Source

-AmeriCorps *NCCC -AmeriCorps *National Direct Programs -AmeriCorps Tribal Programs

CNCS State Office

AmeriCorps* Vista Program

Senior Corps

Governor’s Division of Community and Youth

Development

Governor’s Commission

on Service and Volunteerism

AmeriCorps*State Programs

Service Learning

Volunteerism

•Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), 1994

•Three streams of funding administered at the state level: AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve, Senior Corps

•Other funding comes directly to state programs and is administered through CNCS: AmeriCorps National Direct

Federal Agency

Programs – Who are they?

• AmeriCorps*State (Formula & Competitive)

• AmeriCorps*VISTA

• AmeriCorps*NCCC

• AmeriCorps*National Direct

• AmeriCorps*Tribal

• Senior Corps

• Learn & Serve

•Commission - AmeriCorps Formula and Competitive

•State CNCS Office - Senior Corps,AmeriCorps/VISTA

•CNCS HQ – AmeriCorps/National Direct, AmeriCorps/Tribal

State Structure and Funding Streams

AmeriCorps Programs AmeriCorps is a national service program that provides full-

and less than full-time opportunities for participants, called members, to serve communities and build the

capacity of organizations to meet local needs.

• AmeriCorps programs provide human and other resources to community organizations to build their capacity to meet local needs in:

• Education

• Environment

• Senior dependent living

• Public safety

• Homeland security

• Other critical areas • AmeriCorps members recruit, train and manage an additional one

million community volunteers

AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps

• Provide direct service activities: • Mentoring, tutoring, GED classes, public safety, service learning,

forest health and fire mitigation, volunteer recruitment and management

• Members are 17 or older

• Members can serve full-time or part-time (450, 900, 1,700 hours)

• Members receive a living allowance and education award

AmeriCorps VISTA

• Service activities focus on: • developing and expanding services to bring low-income people out of poverty • building the capacity of individuals, organizations and communities • creating long-term, sustainable change

• Members are 18 or older

• Nearly 150,000 VISTAs since 1965

Thank you

Questions?